She has won at every level she has competed in, including the Tokyo Olympics. There, she made history by winning the Philippines’ first-ever gold medal in the Summer Games.
But Diaz’s journey is far from over. She is the only Filipino athlete to hold titles in the SEA Games, Asian Games, World Championships, and the Olympics.
Aside from competing, Diaz is now focused on promoting weightlifting in the Philippines.
Her efforts reached a new milestone when weightlifting was officially added to the Palarong Pambansa sports lineup. The sport will debut in the 65th edition of the games, held in Ilocos Norte.
Diaz will serve as the tournament director for this new competition. The event has demonstration status and will start on May 26 at Laoag Central Elementary School.
In an interview at the school, Diaz said, “I won silver and gold at the Olympics, but like my husband Julius said, what’s next? Winning gold is great, but how do I pass that on to the next generations?”
She added, “If you look at every region, there are many talented athletes. Palarong Pambansa is now giving them the chance to shine in weightlifting.”
Diaz revealed that she personally lobbied for the sport’s inclusion. Last year, she and her team volunteered their time and proposed weightlifting to the Department of Education (DepEd).
“I met with Secretary Sonny Angara last year. We built connections and they helped us with the process to include weightlifting in Palaro,” she said.
Now that weightlifting is part of the Palarong Pambansa, Diaz’s dream has come true.
“This is really a dream come true. I have wished for this for many years. It’s not just me, but everyone in the weightlifting community hopes for this,” she said.
Diaz stressed the importance of having weightlifting at a major grassroots event like Palarong Pambansa.
“For me, it’s very important because now kids have something to look forward to. Palarong Pambansa is not just a national event. It starts from district, then provincial, then regional levels. It gives young athletes a platform to grow and excel.”
At 34 years old, Diaz finds joy in promoting and teaching weightlifting.
“It makes me happy and fulfilled to see kids who are determined to lift weights and who are happy doing it. I see myself in them when I started weightlifting,” she said.
